Clean energy, job creation must be linked

UASA supports a lower carbon intensive economy but, on behalf of vulnerable workers, we demand a just transition to that new desired state.

We support the International Labour Organisation’s viewpoint that greening all enterprises and jobs by introducing more energy- and resource-efficient practices, avoiding pollution and managing natural resources sustainably leads to innovation, enhances resilience and generates savings that drive new investment and employment.

Uasa has a substantial number of members working in the coal mines and associated value chains who may lose their employment if the transition to greener practices does not take place in a just manner.

A sudden, hasty move may cost the country more in terms of job losses than it will gain with clean power generation.

It is no secret that the country is sitting at the highest unemployment rate in its history, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the failure of the economy to produce sufficient sustainable jobs. Clean energy generation is to be recommended, but what good will it do in a country where millions of citizens are without jobs?

We urge investors and power entities to look ahead and start training people in clean energy generation and to allow industries enough time to adjust to new challenges in line with 4th Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence and technology in general.

Rapid climate change forces us to investigate new solutions that will carry us into the future, but we need to be practical about the effect on jobs and the livelihoods of our people.

By working towards relying principally on clean energy, we also need to ensure that workers benefit by updating their training so that they keep their jobs. | Uasa trade union